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All a blessing from the Lord, each and every person in our lives have left footprints on our hearts. We praise God for all of them.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Photos and more photos, I hope
All a blessing from the Lord, each and every person in our lives have left footprints on our hearts. We praise God for all of them.
August 2013 Newsletter
Greetings from the hot, humid land of Haiti. Even with the heat, it is good to be home again. But that evens out with missing family and friends, too. I told someone here that we never saw spring in the US, we went from winter to summer. And we did. Then from Wisconsin summer to Haiti summer, full force. Almost 2 weeks with the temps in the triple digits. But it would cool down to low 90's and upper 80's at night.
Bringing our grandson along to Haiti was a great. First we made a stop in Orlando and went to The Holy Land Experience. We had been before, but wanted Peter to get to see it. It was good, but changed a lot, too. Some things we enjoyed more before Trinity took over, and some of the addition was great. And Peter and grandma had some fun times getting lost in Orlando. We simply called it...exploring and sight seeing.
Peter has been able to see some of the other ministries, but ended up with some down time. He drank a lot of water, but wasn't putting anything with electrolytes back in his body. So had an experience with some dehydration. And then when he went to town with one of our guys, (and road a motorcycle in town), he got a burn on his leg. Thankfully we have American nurses and doctors here. Got some meds and some antibiotics and he is doing great now. He was a huge blessing at the orphanage school. Helped a lot of the kids with math and English problems. They didn't want him to leave. Today he went to another orphanage, took food there, had Bible study, and had a water balloon fight. He did get to spend some time with the pastor our home church supported in Bible School. He experienced working with and setting up things for kids in the church. He hasn't gotten to do everything we had hoped for but he did do a lot. He leaves us on Tuesday and we will miss him a LOT. Savanah will miss him more than a lot. When she wakes up and he isn't here, she is not happy. And Abbie will miss him. He has made an impression on a lot of adults as well as children. We pray the Lord has been able to open his eyes to where/what/how He wants Peter to proceed with his life.
We've been trying to get things back in the swing here. Lining things up for projects, getting equipment back to working after 3 months...all of it takes a lot of time. And a lot of friends have come to talk since we've been back. And of course, those in need were really waiting for Don's return. He spent today trying to get his weather station back up and running,, so he can get back on the Ham radio net for emergencies. Don works with the US Embassy and Home Land Security on weather watch. We are in hurricane season, so this is important. PTL we have not had a hurricane, but we need to be prepared.
Checked with our lawyer on the adoption. We are now waiting on a law that is to go into effect here in Haiti. He said it is a good thing and should make our adoption process easier and quicker. Please pray with us on this.
I've been reading and studying and trying to get things in order to start our intercessory prayer group. The needs for prayer are so vast, and that is something many of us can do easily. But we do need some guidance too. I've stepped back into leading English Bible Fellowship. One of the things I have been stressing with them is prayer, using the Lord's prayer as an example of how to come before the Lord with our praises and requests. I've been taking one sentence at a time and going through it. Showing them it's not a repetition, but heart felt prayer time.
Aside from getting "things" running here, Don has been busy delivering water, food and clothing to many areas. Peter was able to go with him on some of that. The needs are so great. We praise God for other missionaries who have different ministries, yet ones that work in line with ours. God is using so many, in so many areas. We help in some areas and they help in others, and we work together on it all.
Praises....
I'll include some photos as soon as I can get them on here....
In Him, and through Him, we remain...
Bringing our grandson along to Haiti was a great. First we made a stop in Orlando and went to The Holy Land Experience. We had been before, but wanted Peter to get to see it. It was good, but changed a lot, too. Some things we enjoyed more before Trinity took over, and some of the addition was great. And Peter and grandma had some fun times getting lost in Orlando. We simply called it...exploring and sight seeing.
Peter has been able to see some of the other ministries, but ended up with some down time. He drank a lot of water, but wasn't putting anything with electrolytes back in his body. So had an experience with some dehydration. And then when he went to town with one of our guys, (and road a motorcycle in town), he got a burn on his leg. Thankfully we have American nurses and doctors here. Got some meds and some antibiotics and he is doing great now. He was a huge blessing at the orphanage school. Helped a lot of the kids with math and English problems. They didn't want him to leave. Today he went to another orphanage, took food there, had Bible study, and had a water balloon fight. He did get to spend some time with the pastor our home church supported in Bible School. He experienced working with and setting up things for kids in the church. He hasn't gotten to do everything we had hoped for but he did do a lot. He leaves us on Tuesday and we will miss him a LOT. Savanah will miss him more than a lot. When she wakes up and he isn't here, she is not happy. And Abbie will miss him. He has made an impression on a lot of adults as well as children. We pray the Lord has been able to open his eyes to where/what/how He wants Peter to proceed with his life.
We've been trying to get things back in the swing here. Lining things up for projects, getting equipment back to working after 3 months...all of it takes a lot of time. And a lot of friends have come to talk since we've been back. And of course, those in need were really waiting for Don's return. He spent today trying to get his weather station back up and running,, so he can get back on the Ham radio net for emergencies. Don works with the US Embassy and Home Land Security on weather watch. We are in hurricane season, so this is important. PTL we have not had a hurricane, but we need to be prepared.
Checked with our lawyer on the adoption. We are now waiting on a law that is to go into effect here in Haiti. He said it is a good thing and should make our adoption process easier and quicker. Please pray with us on this.
I've been reading and studying and trying to get things in order to start our intercessory prayer group. The needs for prayer are so vast, and that is something many of us can do easily. But we do need some guidance too. I've stepped back into leading English Bible Fellowship. One of the things I have been stressing with them is prayer, using the Lord's prayer as an example of how to come before the Lord with our praises and requests. I've been taking one sentence at a time and going through it. Showing them it's not a repetition, but heart felt prayer time.
Aside from getting "things" running here, Don has been busy delivering water, food and clothing to many areas. Peter was able to go with him on some of that. The needs are so great. We praise God for other missionaries who have different ministries, yet ones that work in line with ours. God is using so many, in so many areas. We help in some areas and they help in others, and we work together on it all.
Praises....
- Great 50th anniversary party (even in snow)
- Wonderful success in Don's eye surgery
- Awesome time with family and friends
- Safe travels back to Haiti
- Fantastic time with Peter here
- God's direction in doing His work
- God's grace in dealing with people
- Strength and wisdom in all areas
- For Haiti... the government and leaders
- For the US... the government and leaders
- For the Lord to keep our families (both here and in the US) safe and focused on the Lord.
I'll include some photos as soon as I can get them on here....
In Him, and through Him, we remain...
Friday, August 23, 2013
And we are into late August
What a time I've had logging into this thing. I don't know if it's my age, or what is happening. It lets me log in under 3 different names, but only one where I can post. It has to be ME... so maybe you all need to pray that I can get this figured out right.
Last time I posted was well over a month ago. Lots led to that, but I'll try and back up to when I last did get to post on here.
I just realized that was way back when we first got back. Peter was here and we had a mess trying to regroup and unpack and get settled back in. What a blessing it was to have Peter here. When he wasn't out doing things, or working with kids at EBAC, he was here. He helped me so much to be able to get caught up on things that had been left undone for the time we were gone. Normally it takes me a lot longer to get things organized but with his help keeping an eye on the little tornado, I was able to get a LOT done. We sure do miss him being here. He was a delight to have around. I pray the Lord was able to give him some insight into where he should go and when and how to do it. Between Savanah and Abbie, he was really happy to be able to get out and about and do other things. They sure did take to him. We have our family collage sitting here in the computer room now, and Savanah comes in and goes right to the picture with Peter on it. She yells, "E-ER" (her version of Peter), then she goes to look for him.
We have gotten back into the swing of things now. Don makes trips to deliver water, food (when he has it), and some boxes of clothing for people to sell. He will start with doing sand and gravel for some of those who need it to help build houses or walls, or whatever else they need. I think that will start tomorrow. The need for water was so great. You don't realize how bad it is until you've been gone. Then when you come home and people are mainly asking for water... oh food is a huge need, too, but water for any need is a desperate need. Don is also working on making an iron door for one of the families he helps. Thieves broke in at midnight and took all the family's food and money. Praise God no one was hurt, but it devastated the family, none the less. So, he is working on replacing that flimsy door with a good iron one. Waiting on finances to finish that job. He has gotten a lot of other jobs done that needed attention. A bit here, a bit there and it will all come together soon.
Getting back into working here in the house is a challenge for me. With the "help" I get from Savanah, I have to wait until she naps to get anything really accomplished. I need desperately to clean out my computer room... I think I need to get rid of things I haven't used in a long time. That would help so much. But about the time I do that, I'll need something I gave away. But I am going to do it.
Our internet is finally working, but only hardwired to the laptop. This has been a bit of a frustration for me. And for Don as well. He was used to doing his morning devotions on the internet on his tablet in the living room. But somehow we WILL get this thing working.
I ended up being in charge of services at English church as soon as I got back. With summer, many missionaries are gone, so we all try to fill in where needed. It wasn't bad, just unexpected. This Sunday should be my last one for a few months anyway. We now have a lot of Haitians attending and that is awesome. Most of the time they are held back and reserved. It seems we are finally starting to get through that and they are willing to share praise and prayer requests, too. We have some really great voices for the singing, too. I have to say, Haitians LOVE to sing and are so very good at it.
We have also gone back to our Wednesday night prayer meeting. That is such an uplift. Praying together with other believers is such a blessing. I've been reading two different books on "praying together" and "intercessory prayer". I have really come to understand why the Lord directs us to pray together. A lot of it is for our benefit. With others praying with us, we are more inclined to look for and search out God's answers to those prayers. It's a huge encouragement when you can say, "Hey, did you see how God answered that prayer from last time?" And know others are sharing the joy with you. But I am also learning how the Lord feels about those who pray together.
I want to share a few paragraphs from the book "The Lost Art Of Praying Together" by James Banks. I didn't know this whole story before (some of you may have), but I found it very interesting.
"In May of 1934 in Charlotte, North Carolina, a small group of men met together on a dairy farm to pray. It was the middle of the Great Depression, and the farmer had lost all of his savings in the banking collapse the previous year. But he gave up much needed time at work to pray with his friends.
Together they asked God to raise up a person from the Charlotte area who would share the good news of Jesus all over the world. A few months later, the farmer's teenage son (who was mocking his father's faith at the time of the prayer meeting) committed his life to Jesus during an evangelistic campaign. His name was Billy Graham.
I have to wonder what would have happened if there hadn't been a small prayer meeting on the Graham farm that day. What would we have missed?....."
It is situations like this and many others that have led me (via the Lord's prompting) to start an intercessory prayer group here in Haiti. And it will finally become a reality starting tomorrow morning. There may only be a few of us, but with concentrated, concerned prayer, God can work miracles. We will be praying and watching God work.
The other book I've been studying is "Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets. I have to admit this is the first time I had heard of him. But others know of him and have been really supportive of him. I have his book marked up with pen all over the place. He uses scripture in each and every statement. It sure makes you dig in and make sure it's being used correctly. I am really enjoying this book and others have already read it. One scripture that stands out for me, and I've been studying that one... is in John 20: 21 "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you." We are to be doing the work of Jesus here on earth. He has given us the right and the power to do that when we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. The Lord showed me that maybe I can't physically do a lot, but I sure can pray. I can spend time with Him, searching and reading, but I need to start using those prayers as an opportunity, as Mr. Graham and his friends did, to help others. We have had a lot of examples of how God does work through prayers of intercession, from specifically one great Haitian Christian woman. Mme. Louisa Destine started a prayer group of intercessors and God has accomplished a lot through them. Their prayers led many to the Lord, but they have also prayed beyond that and prayed for healing, mended relationships, broken homes and the list could go on and on. And the important thing, GOD ANSWERED THEIR PRAYERS. Maybe not all like we'd have them answered, but HE DID ANSWER. They prayed for each item until God released them from praying. Our prayers and yours ARE important... so keep them heading toward the Lord.
I finally was able to get our newsletter done. It's one of those "Murphy lives here" times. I have 2 printers, BOTH ran out of ink...ordered it, the company lost the order... finally got the ink through HP and it came quickly. (Only took us 2½ weeks to print it). I will try to post it on here in the next day or two, depending on when I can get on again.
Prayers?
Last time I posted was well over a month ago. Lots led to that, but I'll try and back up to when I last did get to post on here.
I just realized that was way back when we first got back. Peter was here and we had a mess trying to regroup and unpack and get settled back in. What a blessing it was to have Peter here. When he wasn't out doing things, or working with kids at EBAC, he was here. He helped me so much to be able to get caught up on things that had been left undone for the time we were gone. Normally it takes me a lot longer to get things organized but with his help keeping an eye on the little tornado, I was able to get a LOT done. We sure do miss him being here. He was a delight to have around. I pray the Lord was able to give him some insight into where he should go and when and how to do it. Between Savanah and Abbie, he was really happy to be able to get out and about and do other things. They sure did take to him. We have our family collage sitting here in the computer room now, and Savanah comes in and goes right to the picture with Peter on it. She yells, "E-ER" (her version of Peter), then she goes to look for him.
We have gotten back into the swing of things now. Don makes trips to deliver water, food (when he has it), and some boxes of clothing for people to sell. He will start with doing sand and gravel for some of those who need it to help build houses or walls, or whatever else they need. I think that will start tomorrow. The need for water was so great. You don't realize how bad it is until you've been gone. Then when you come home and people are mainly asking for water... oh food is a huge need, too, but water for any need is a desperate need. Don is also working on making an iron door for one of the families he helps. Thieves broke in at midnight and took all the family's food and money. Praise God no one was hurt, but it devastated the family, none the less. So, he is working on replacing that flimsy door with a good iron one. Waiting on finances to finish that job. He has gotten a lot of other jobs done that needed attention. A bit here, a bit there and it will all come together soon.
Getting back into working here in the house is a challenge for me. With the "help" I get from Savanah, I have to wait until she naps to get anything really accomplished. I need desperately to clean out my computer room... I think I need to get rid of things I haven't used in a long time. That would help so much. But about the time I do that, I'll need something I gave away. But I am going to do it.
Our internet is finally working, but only hardwired to the laptop. This has been a bit of a frustration for me. And for Don as well. He was used to doing his morning devotions on the internet on his tablet in the living room. But somehow we WILL get this thing working.
I ended up being in charge of services at English church as soon as I got back. With summer, many missionaries are gone, so we all try to fill in where needed. It wasn't bad, just unexpected. This Sunday should be my last one for a few months anyway. We now have a lot of Haitians attending and that is awesome. Most of the time they are held back and reserved. It seems we are finally starting to get through that and they are willing to share praise and prayer requests, too. We have some really great voices for the singing, too. I have to say, Haitians LOVE to sing and are so very good at it.
We have also gone back to our Wednesday night prayer meeting. That is such an uplift. Praying together with other believers is such a blessing. I've been reading two different books on "praying together" and "intercessory prayer". I have really come to understand why the Lord directs us to pray together. A lot of it is for our benefit. With others praying with us, we are more inclined to look for and search out God's answers to those prayers. It's a huge encouragement when you can say, "Hey, did you see how God answered that prayer from last time?" And know others are sharing the joy with you. But I am also learning how the Lord feels about those who pray together.
I want to share a few paragraphs from the book "The Lost Art Of Praying Together" by James Banks. I didn't know this whole story before (some of you may have), but I found it very interesting.
"In May of 1934 in Charlotte, North Carolina, a small group of men met together on a dairy farm to pray. It was the middle of the Great Depression, and the farmer had lost all of his savings in the banking collapse the previous year. But he gave up much needed time at work to pray with his friends.
Together they asked God to raise up a person from the Charlotte area who would share the good news of Jesus all over the world. A few months later, the farmer's teenage son (who was mocking his father's faith at the time of the prayer meeting) committed his life to Jesus during an evangelistic campaign. His name was Billy Graham.
I have to wonder what would have happened if there hadn't been a small prayer meeting on the Graham farm that day. What would we have missed?....."
It is situations like this and many others that have led me (via the Lord's prompting) to start an intercessory prayer group here in Haiti. And it will finally become a reality starting tomorrow morning. There may only be a few of us, but with concentrated, concerned prayer, God can work miracles. We will be praying and watching God work.
The other book I've been studying is "Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets. I have to admit this is the first time I had heard of him. But others know of him and have been really supportive of him. I have his book marked up with pen all over the place. He uses scripture in each and every statement. It sure makes you dig in and make sure it's being used correctly. I am really enjoying this book and others have already read it. One scripture that stands out for me, and I've been studying that one... is in John 20: 21 "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you." We are to be doing the work of Jesus here on earth. He has given us the right and the power to do that when we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. The Lord showed me that maybe I can't physically do a lot, but I sure can pray. I can spend time with Him, searching and reading, but I need to start using those prayers as an opportunity, as Mr. Graham and his friends did, to help others. We have had a lot of examples of how God does work through prayers of intercession, from specifically one great Haitian Christian woman. Mme. Louisa Destine started a prayer group of intercessors and God has accomplished a lot through them. Their prayers led many to the Lord, but they have also prayed beyond that and prayed for healing, mended relationships, broken homes and the list could go on and on. And the important thing, GOD ANSWERED THEIR PRAYERS. Maybe not all like we'd have them answered, but HE DID ANSWER. They prayed for each item until God released them from praying. Our prayers and yours ARE important... so keep them heading toward the Lord.
I finally was able to get our newsletter done. It's one of those "Murphy lives here" times. I have 2 printers, BOTH ran out of ink...ordered it, the company lost the order... finally got the ink through HP and it came quickly. (Only took us 2½ weeks to print it). I will try to post it on here in the next day or two, depending on when I can get on again.
Prayers?
- I have just spent well over a week very sick. Finally feeling better, then Savanah got it. She is throwing up and coughing and worn out, plus the big "D". She seems to be improving, but pray for her.
- Pray for our prayer meetings, that God will guide and direct us in the way HE wants us to go with it.
- Pray for the country of Haiti... for it's leaders and for the Christians to be strong and true.
- Pray for America that God will touch the hearts, minds and mouths of our leaders there. And that He will draw them near to Him, or have His will in their lives.
- Pray for Don and his ministry, that the Lord will walk with him and guide and direct him.
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